Album Review of
George the Bomb!

Written by Robert Silverstein
May 2, 2019 - 2:16pm EDT
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At 92, guitarist George Freeman is hardly a newcomer to the jazz and blues music world, and on his 2019 album George The Bomb! the veteran musician turns in a most remarkable performance. Born in 1927, George shared the stage with Charlie Parker and countless other jazz legends in his celebrated musical life, including his nephew Chico Freeman. Most of the album tracks are instrumental-based, bluesy jazz while other tracks feature vocal conversations that borders on scat jazz.  Recorded in Chicago in December 2018, the eleven cut, 60 minute CD features George in the studio backed up by blues-harp master Billy Branch, John Devlin (bass), Luis Ewerling (drums), Joanie Pallatto (vocal) and Bradley Parker-Sparrow (piano). In addition, the CD packaging is excellent and features very cool liner notes from a range of artists and writers. Some of the tracks on George The Bomb! sound inspired by BB King and others have a more adventurous, jazzy appeal but either way, George Freeman’s new album George The Bomb! is quite an entertaining album on many levels and it will surely bring a smile to the faces of so many jazz and blues guitar fans.